The weekend in Culmstock will be part of the annual Blackdowns Early Music Project’s Spring Festival.

We shall rehearse in Culmstock and perform In Wellington School Chapel ( NOT St John’s Church which several of you know well!).  Playing with us will be Martin Perkins (organ) and Henrik Persson (gamba and/or baroque cello).

We will do our utmost to keep costs as low as possible for you all, and can offer some assistance with low cost, friendly accommodation where needed  (this will work out at c. £20 pp pn).  Meals will all be provided within the sub. As a rough guide, the last time BC performed under the BEMP umbrella was in 2011 when the basic sub for the w/e was c. £120 excluding accommodation.

The programme – entitled Komm, Heiliger Geist – will include the following works:

• Johann Walter: Veni Sancte Spritus & Nun bitten wir
• Melchior Frank: Unser Leben währet siebzig Jahr
• Johann Ludwig Bach ~ Gedenke meiner, mein Gott
• Johann Bach: Unser Leben ist ein Schatten
• Johann Sebastien Bach: Komm, Jesu, komm & Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit & Ich lasse dich nicht
• There will additionally be a couple of Intermezzos played by the continuo players.

Scores of the above music can be found by following this link https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pvlpgt72tk4mlwp/AAA_vcIQxRJrTIFC1tBLYDFza?dl=0

Please print the music and bring it to the weekend in a black binder.

The voice distribution is also available from the above Dropbox folder. [Note that in the JL Bach, on Pages 10 & 13 Defunctus will be sung by a soprano (Fabienne Brooksbank Levery), and on Pages 11 & 14 Deus will be sung by a tenor (John Tucker).]

Rehearsals will start at 15h00 on Friday 7th in Culmstock Village Hall, singing until about 21h00, with supper provided at 18h00 in the hall.

On Saturday, rehearsals will also be in Culmstock from 09h30 to 18h00, with lunch provided 13h00 to 15h00 in Cadbury House, and dinner in the Culm Valley Inn at 19h30

The Sunday morning rehearsal will also be in Culmstock (10h00 to 12h00), moving to Wellington after lunch (12h15 in Cadbury House) from 14h00 to 17h00, with tea at 17h30. The concert will be at 18h45, ending about 20h00

Concert dress is all black: women in dresses or trousers, men in trousers and shirts, without tie or jacket.

At some stage of the weekend the AGM will be held.

Further details will be added as soon as they are available.

The weekend will be based in Oxford, mostly in St. Michael’s Church in Summertown, but with the Sunday concert and afternoon rehearsal in St. Giles’ Church in town.

JJ has devised a wonderful programme of old and new, along the theme of “Songs of Saints”:

1. Crequillon: Andreas Christi famulus   *
2. Guerrero: Maria Magdalena  *
3. Palestrina: Tu es Petrus; Quodcumque ligaveris  **
4. Lassus: Epitaphium divi Bernardi  *
5. Britten: Hymn to St. Cecilia  ***
6. Moore: Salutation Angelica ****
7. Pärt: Dopo la vittoria  *
8. Miskinis: Angelis suis Deus ****

* Please print and bring this score

** Bring your own European Sacred Music (p 258 et seq)

*** Bring your own score if owned, spares will be available

****Hired scores will be available when you arrive

Scores and Voice Distribution are here

Those who have said that they will sing are as follows:

Catherine Bass

Dawn Herbert

Fabienne Brooksbank Levery

Isobel Knapp

Joanna Tucker

Linda Wisheart

Milda Zinkus

Miranda Whiteley

Jenny Forsyth

Rachel Adams

Alison Baily

Anne Raikes

Caroline Bysh

Juliet Grayson

Angela Knapp

Juliet Harkness

Lynn Carter

Stella Holman

Marion Robinson

Martin Jenkinson

Eamonn Marshall

Mark Dancy

Peter Furnivall

Tony Hastings

Richard Johnstone

Simon Murray

Justin Stead

John Tucker

Guy Chapman

Robin Grayson

Andy Chim

Christopher Cipkin

David Till

Denys Firth

Graeme Adamson

Hugh Edwards

Roger Williams

Robert Asher

The  voice distribution is available via the Dropbox link to the music folder (above).

The subscription for the weekend is £75,  excluding accommodation and meals.  Anne Raikes has emailed the payment details to everyone, please try to pay your sub in advance, if possible by Feb 25th.

Concert tickets are £12 full price, £8 for students, job seekers, disabled, under 12s free , please bring as many family, friends and neighbours as possible.

Concert dress is all black: open-necked shirts and trousers for men; black tops and dresses or trousers for women.

Friday March 1

Rehearsal: St. Michael’s & All Angels Church, Lonsdale Road OX2 7ES  17h00 to c. 21h00.   We will break  for 30 mins at around 19h00 for a light tea.  If you cannot arrive on time, or are delayed en route , please  let Catherine Bass know email bartholomewconsort@gmail.com or txt 07771 908643 or

Saturday March 2

Rehearsal:   St. Michael’s Church Hall,  Portland Road OX2 7EZ  09h30 to 11h00, then move to Church  until lunch at 13h00.   We continue 14h30 until 18h00.  There will be coffee/tea breaks during the morning and afternoon sessions.

Group Dinner ( optional) has been arranged for Saturday evening at the Cherwell Boathouse, Bardwell Road at 18h15 for 18h45 ; the cost of the meal is additional to the weekend’s subscription.  Anne has sent the menu with the subscription details, please order and pay in advance.

Sunday March 3

Rehearsal: Morning 10h00 to 12h30 in St. Michael’s church hall.  Afternoon  14h00 to 16h00 in St. Giles’ Church, OX2 6HT

Concert 20h00 .  For those who have to check out of  accommodation during the morning, we have made arrangements to store any cases on the church premises from just before 14h00.  We will all have  access to the Parish Rooms for changing between 18h30 and 19h30.  There will be no refreshment provided between rehearsal and concert, however Oxford city centre is a short walk from the church.